1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to cable assemblies, and more specifically, to cable assemblies having lock-out mechanisms.
2. Description of Related Art
Cable assemblies have been used and known in the art for many years to actuate release mechanisms for opening doors, lids, and/or covers. For example, in the automotive industry, a release lever is often provided in proximity to a front or rear seat and attached to a cable assembly, used to open a trunk lid, a fuel cap lid, and/or to collapse the back support of a back seat to increase the space from the trunk area.
However, with these types of cable assemblies, access to the passenger compartment often provides access to any compartment actuated by the release mechanism. Even though a person may appropriately be in the passenger compartment, this access to the passenger compartment is not tacit approval to access other compartments in the automobile (e.g., the trunk area). A case in point is the circumstance surrounding valet parking.
A valet is appropriately allowed access to the passenger compartment to park a person's automobile. However, a valet is not permitted access to any other compartment without explicit approval from the owner. And yet, if the automobile is equipped with the previously mentioned cable assemblies, a valet has access to any compartment attached to the cable assembly once access has been gained to the passenger compartment.
This situation is particularly problematic for a passenger compartment equipped with a release to the back support of a back seat which opens to the trunk area of the vehicle. The purpose of this type of release is to increase the trunk space to accommodate items such as skis, surf boards, fishing gear, or other items with dimensions greater then the trunk. Access to the trunk from the passenger compartment allows easy and inconspicuous accessibility to items in the trunk. A valet may be deterred from entering a trunk by the customary method of opening the outside trunk lid due to the conspicuous nature of the act, but access to the trunk through the back support while protected from view inside the passenger compartment may be too tempting for some. Since valuable items are routinely stored in the trunk compartment, for example, CD stereos and laptop computers, etc., access to the trunk from the passenger compartment must be limited.
Additionally, access to the trunk space from the passenger compartment could be especially dangerous for children. Without adult supervision, a child playing in the passenger compartment could release the back support and enter the trunk space to be locked inside the trunk with the potential for dire consequences. If a cable assembly provided a lock-out mechanism to prevent the release of the back support, access to the trunk space by a child could be avoided. Accordingly, there has been a longstanding need in the relevant art to produce a cable assembly that can selectively prevent access to other compartments from the passenger compartment.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new cable assembly that can selectively prevent actuation of a release mechanism.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a cable assembly with a safety feature that presents a child in the passenger compartment from being able to actuate a release mechanism and gaining access to the trunk space.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel dual cable assembly, one control cable capable of selectively preventing actuation of a release mechanism, while the second control cable does not.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new dual cable assembly, positioned in an automobile trunk compartment, that selectively prevents actuation of a release mechanism with a control cable positioned in proximity to one of the vehicle seats, and a second control cable positioned in the trunk compartment.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in a description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following specification, or may be learned by practice of the invention herein. The objects and the advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.